My Electric Water Pot Beats A Kettle Any Day

I just spent the last hour trying to find any information I could on a behavioral phenomenon I'm all too familiar with: choosing not to do an easy task merely because of a small hurdle standing in your way. After coming up empty-handed, I sat at my computer in a state of bewilderment. Surely there's some psychological term for this, I thought. And then it hit me. Laziness! Although, it does occur to me that, having invested an hour on this ridiculous quest instead of getting my work done, I may just be a first-rate procrastinator.

I guess it doesn't matter. Whether I'm lazy or avoidant (or, option C, dumb), it helps explain my love of this hot water pot, which holds a large two-, three-, or four-liter tank of water at a precise temperature basically forever. (I own the two-liter version, but the three-liter one is currently cheaper, so I'm linking to that below.)

Panasonic Electric Thermo Pot Water Boiler

View on Amazon $112 at Walmart

Not convinced? I wouldn't be either, and I suspect I know what many of you are already thinking: Big whoop! I have an electric hot water kettle that does the same thing, so why in the world would I want something so big sitting on my counter? My answer: Because the hot water pot is even easier, and if my experience is any measure, that tiny bump in effortlessness ends up having a major bump in usefulness.

Let me give you an example. Let's say it's a cold, snowy day and you want to brew a nice hot cup of tea or maybe make yourself a mug of drip coffee. You're busy, though, because you have to finish writing an article raving about a thing that heats water. If you own a standard kettle, you would have to get up, fill the kettle with water, turn it on (possibly setting the temperature first), and then wait a seemingly endless minute or two for the water to heat before you can move on to making the drink itself. A minor inconvenience! But I've found that it's enough of one to frequently discourage actually getting up and doing it.

It leads to that thing where you find yourself sitting at your computer thinking, Huh, I meant to get up and make that cup of tea an hour ago. And then, Huh, I meant to get up and make that cup of tea four hours ago. And finally, Funny, I meant to make that cup of tea all day and it just never happened.

Compare that to using one of these water pots. It's already on, and your water is already hot because it's always already hot. You probably don't have to refill it because it's filled with liters (plural!) of water. You get up, you dispense the water into a mug with a teabag in it or onto your coffee. Your drink is ready; you are done.

And do I even need to point out the oh so very obvious: This hot water pot makes instant ramen truly instant.

With this one tiny hurdle removed, I guarantee you will see a measurable increase in your hot-beverage consumption. Your life will be dramatically improved. Or, at least, that's the theory. First, you have to get yourself to the store to restock those damned teabags.

FAQs

How hot does the Panasonic Water Boiler keep water?

The electric water pot allows you to set water to boil (that's 212°F) or keep it warm at the following settings: 208, 190, 180, or 140°F.

What's the best electric kettle?

We tested a number of electric kettles and named models from Fellow, Breville, and Cosori our top picks.